LAUNCH TEST - 2021 HARLEY-DAVIDSON SPORTSTER S - JUST BIKES

LAUNCH TEST - 2021 Harley-Davidson Sportster S

Words: Phil Suriano

Photos: Incite Images, courtesy of Harley-Davidson Australia

After much speculation over its fate in recent years, Harley-Davidson’s Sportster is nether dying nor fading away. It’s been reborn as a high-performance street brawler that puts “sport” back into the model name.

I was on hand for the Australian launch of the all-new ‘Sportster S’ and can attest to the fact that the Sportster is not only alive, but very, very healthy.

LAUNCH TEST - 2021 Harley-Davidson Sportster S

What do you do with an aged model that has such a long and storied history as the Sportster? It’s an interesting question and one that head honchos at The Motor Company no doubt thought long and hard over.

Kill it? It certainly would have been an option. The V-Rod and Street, to name a couple, have been given the chop in recent years, while the dismemberment of the entire Dyna range showed Harley-Davidson can be ruthless with their established models. But the Sportster is something of a sacred cow, isn’t it?

To put some history into the equation, the Sportster name dates back to 1957 and has been a staple in the Harley-Davidson range ever since - that’s 65 years as of 2022 and the longest running nameplate in The Motor Company’s history.

But while it had its adherents, the Sportster also had its detractors, especially as it started to drift further and further away from the definition of “sport”. The all-new Sportster aims to address that.

The old air-cooled Sportster was discontinued in Europe for 2021 due to the inability of the Evolution engine to meet Euro5 emissions regulations. It’s now been discontinued for Australia and New Zealand, too. However, a quick scan through the ‘net shows it is still available in selected markets overseas.

So, it’s out with the old and in with the new, but what exactly is the new Sportster?

RevMax Torque Machine

For the Australian launch of the 2021 Harley-Davidson Sportster S, the local motorcycling media were gathered in Sydney for some brief seat time on the all-new model, but before we got bums on seats, we had a video link-up with engineering personnel from The Motor Company who provided some insight into the Sportster S and its creation.

It’s no secret that the Pan America adventure tourer and Sportster S share the same Revolution Max engine (RevMax for short), but the engine isn’t exactly the same.

Yes, the 1252cc capacity is unchanged for the Sportster S and it has the same bore and stroke. And yes, it’s liquid-cooled in both versions, too. The differences start with the Sportster's lower compression ratio of 12.0:1 and include modified heads, barrels, pistons, redesigned cams and adjustments to the variable valve timing.

H-D technicians explained this was to ensure a torquier engine, with the Sportster version of the RevMax dubbed the ‘1250T’ (T for Torque). As they put it, this makes the Sportster S a torque machine, while the Pan America 1250 is a horsepower machine.

So, what are the differences between the two? Well, at 90kW maximum power, the Sportster S has 22kW less than the Pan America 1250. Maximum torque of 127Nm is the same, but the Sportster S hits that peak at 6,000rpm – 750rpm lower in the rev range than the Pan America 1250. Additionally, an increase in airbox volume improves torque through the mid to upper rev range, between 3,000 and 6,000rpm.

The other crucial point to note when comparing these bikes is that the Sportster S, at 228kg wet, is a full 30kg lighter than the Pan America 1250, so while the engine is less powerful, it has less weight to lug around.

The liquid engine cooling that defines this new generation Sportster extends to the oil cooling, too, which ensures a more consistent oil temperature, according to H-D.

For the rest of the drivetrain, there’s a six-speed gearbox with slip-assist clutch and belt final drive.

The RevMax engine serves as a stressed member of the frame, which consists of steel trellis front and rear sections, with an aluminium centre section. The trellis treatment extends to the swingarm, which looked a little spindly to me, but proved to be more than tough enough to handle the torture we subjected it to on this test.

Tough Stuff

As well as all-new componentry, the Sportster S has an all-new look. With its long, low and muscular appearance, and especially in the front end treatment, there are obvious parallels to the current Street Bob Softail. I can also see influences of the V-Rod, FXDR 114 and Breakout in the styling, while H-D cited the old Sportster Forty Eight and classic XR750 flat tracker amongst its inspirations.

The low stance is achieved through minimal rear suspension travel (more on that later), paring back the tail and sitting the headlight low in the front forks. The headlight is a similar rectangular style to the Fat Bob and part of an all-LED lighting package.

For me, the Sportster S’s appearance is tough and has an undeniable ‘wow factor’, thanks to that fat front tyre, chunky 2-1-2 exhaust and restrained use of colours and graphics.

It’s worth noting that there’s nary a Bar & Shield logo to be seen on this bike, with the Harley-Davidson graphics on the fuel tank showing no obvious nod to Harley’s past, either, so maybe The Motor Company are aiming to make this an all-new model visually as well as mechanically.

Aussie market Sportsters will be offered in three colour choices – Vivid Black, Midnight Crimson and Stone Washed White Pearl – all of which are matched to black wheels and a mix of black and bronze finishes on the engine.

There is already a wide range of accessories available through the Parts & Accessories catalogue to suit the Sportster S, but I’ll be interested to see where early adopters take this in terms of styling and customisation, as to me, it looks like a custom bike already.

Solo One

Out of the crate, the Sportster S is strictly a solo ride, although a pillion seat and tail extension are available through P & A. The seat itself is 734mm high and perfectly comfortable for the short rides most Sportster owners will be doing. I had no problems with it on our brief launch, but a full day in the saddle would have me looking for a touring seat option. The 11.8-litre fuel capacity limits long, unbroken stints on the road anyway.

The handlebars are wide and reasonably flat, with good reach. Same goes for the forward controls, which aren’t really my style, but mid-mount pegs are optionally available and the handlebar can be adjusted. Bar-end mirrors are standard.

The old Sportster’s analogue instruments have been upgraded with a 109mm circular TFT colour display that nestles neatly in the cleavage of the bars and is packed with information, led by the speedo and revcounter, with smaller (arguably too small) displays for the odometer, gear position indicator, riding mode, fuel level, clock and other information.

Display settings and other information are adjustable via the switchgear, which is broadly the same as the Pan America 1250. Having ridden that model, I was familiar with this switchgear and anyone who’s ridden a modern street bike, touring bike or cruiser won’t have any issues learning the functions.

Accessing features like the riding modes, phone and navigation functionality prioritises their position in the gauge display, but the speedo, tacho, gear position and riding mode indicators are a constant.

Tech to Tweak

Moving well ahead of the tech that was available on the outgoing Sportster, the new Sportster S comes with Cornering ABS and Cornering Traction Control, Drag Torque Slip Control, Front Wheel Lift Mitigation, Cruise Control and five riding modes.

Three of those modes are pre-set – Rain, Road and Sport – and self-explanatory, while two additional custom modes allow individual adjustment of the level of throttle response and Traction Control intervention, for example.

Bluetooth compatibility is standard, as is Harley’s navigation system that works via a smartphone and an H-D app to provide “moving map” turn-by-turn navigation instructions.

White Smoke at White Bay

For the Australian Sportster S launch, Harley-Davidson had us gather at the White Bay cruise terminal in Sydney Harbour for the presentations, then a short ride out through the CBD and back for some unrestricted fun on a temporary road course at the terminal.

Starting the Sportster S up, there’s a nice bark from the engine, but the exhaust note is fairly muted thereafter. Clutch action was smooth and gear selection easy.

Heading off through inner Sydney streets, we were at speeds that were well within this bike’s capabilities, but where possible, I explored all that torque and found the Sportster S to be very easy to get up to speed - very quickly!

The big RevMax 1250T has plenty of performance, with the power of the engine, coupled with the bike’s low weight, enabling it to sit firmly on the road at all speeds. It’s perfectly comfortable just cruising along in traffic, but the engine was surprisingly unstressed when I had it further up the rev range, too.

The Sportster S suspension comprises a 43mm USD fork front and piggyback monoshock rear, both from Showa and both fully adjustable. Travel is listed at 92mm for the front end, which is reasonable, but just 51mm for the rear. Obviously, that rear suspension travel is minimal, and while some of my fellow journos found it too limited, I didn’t have a problem and never felt the back end bottom out at any point on the test. That being said, the suspension was firm, so if I was spending more time with the Sportster S, I would soften it up a little.

On the road, the Sportster S feels well balanced, with no obvious front or rear weight bias. As mentioned, I’m not a huge fan of feet-forward riding, but I didn’t feel like it overly compromised my experience. The sense of control I had on the road was surprisingly good.

Cornering was surprisingly good, too. I say ‘surprising’ because I thought that fat front tyre would be an issue in the turns. I did have to work my way through the corner more than I would on a sports bike or naked of similar engine capacity, but in terms of cornering ability and overall handling, the Sportster S was far nimbler than I expected. If you are coming to this bike from another cruiser, you’ll be surprised at how much you can throw it around.

There’s a 34-degree lean angle each way thanks in part to those high-mount pipes, so I was grinding the pegs on occasion during the test. More competent cruiser riders will be doing the same.

Speaking of the pipes, the three-layer heat shield allows them to be touched with an ungloved hand after prolonged engine running, according to H-D. I didn’t test that myself, and while I was aware of the engine heat under my right leg, I never found it excessive or uncomfortable.

Alternating between Road and Sport modes, I could notice the difference in throttle response, but these modes didn’t neglect the “protective” element entirely. On a section of the Harbour Bridge, I hit an oil patch (I assume, but it was a wet day) in Sport mode and the back end stepped out but the Traction Control caught it before any damage could be done. It was a surprise, but a nice one!

Perhaps the biggest surprise on the road part of the test was the lack of wind buffeting. Obviously, there’s zero wind protection on this bike, but buffeting was never excessive, even at high speeds.

On the road, the bar-end mirrors, which can be more decorative than functional on some bikes, worked well, with no vibration. My only gripe was they looked a bit cheap, and like the overly large indicators, are things I would change for P & A or aftermarket items at the first opportunity.

The Sportster S’s brakes are made up of a single 320mm radial front disc and floating 260mm rear disc, with a four-piston Brembo caliper up front and a two-piston caliper at the rear.

Braking was strong and fade-free, even when we were hammering the brakes on Harley’s “TT Course” at White Bay. The lack of dual front discs on a 90kW bike seems a little strange, but I never felt like the Sportster S needed more stopping power at any point on the test.

Blasting around the TT Course, getting up to some hectic speeds and doing some epic burnouts really tested those brakes, but unfortunately also completed our day.

A New Generation

As I haven’t ridden previous versions of Harley’s Sportster, I can’t attest to how much better this new version is, but those with more familiarity say it’s like night and day in terms of the engine performance, handling and tech.

I did come to this launch test with some preconceptions, especially regarding the handling, but these were swiftly dispensed and I found the bike great fun to ride. Some mid-mount pegs would make it more suitable for my riding style, but in stock spec, it’s a worthy adversary for the likes of Indian’s Scout or a Triumph Bonneville Bobber. They're different bikes, but you could possibly throw the Yamaha MT-10 and BMW’s R nineT into the mix as rivals, too.

Owners of the old Sportster will find this new one a revelation, but they’ll also need to find some extra dollars, as the starting price has risen by a minimum of $6,500. That’s a significant increase, but the new Sportster is also a significant improvement over the version it’s replacing.

After my brief experience on the Sportster S, I was left wanting more time on it. And that’s got to be the ultimate endorsement for any motorcycle.